Gas-fueled lighter



March 24, 1970 M. GRUNBACHER 3,502,420 1 GAS-FUELED LIGHTER Filed April 8, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1

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BY NQNQMAM E TOENGQED March 24, 1970 M. GRUNBACH E R GAS-FUELED LIGHTER Filed April 8, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .lnventor= ma-nu Guinean,

BY QMQA TTORNI Y5 United States PatentOffi 3,502,420 Patented Mar. 24, 1970 3,502,420 GAS-FUELED LIGHTER Martin Griinbacher, Offenbach am Main, Germany, assiguor to Rowenta Metallwarenfabrik G.m.b.H., Offenbach am Main, Germany, a German firm Filed Apr. 8, 1968, Ser. No. 719,439 Claims priority, applifiitiosn G9ermany, Apr. 7, 1967,

Int. Cl. F2 3q 1/04 US. Cl. 431-254 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE GAS-FUELED LIGHTER The invention. is concerned with a gas-fueled lighter havingv mechanical ignition means and a one-piece operating member which is covering the top face of the lighter. I, w

A known lighter of this kind is described in US. Patent No. 3,150,509. This lighter is provided with a one-piece operating member which is pivotally hinged in the middle of the lighters top and which is swinging about one or I the other side of this pivot. The operating member of the known lighter has a plane surface at its upper side and protrudes at both ends into the lighter by means of tongues in the shape of a sector.

When operated f.e. at" its vright end the operating member, is-turning about its pivot for such amount that its tongue or projection engages a wick tube and is shifting this wick tube together with its wick against the movement of the operating member through a predetermined angle.

The rotation of the abrasivewheel on a flint stone causes ignition. The flame produced therebyis directed upward and sloping to the left. The flame is emerging freely sinice the operating member has opened a certain aperture..

When the operating member is operated on the left side the function is reversed, e.g. the tongue belonging to the left side is pushing the wick tube to the right. After ignition the flame is emerging through the respective aperture between the operating member and the lighter corpus.

It is a disadvantage of the known lighter that the wick tube must be shifted in order to bring the ignited flame into the direction of the angle of the aperture.

A further disadvantage is the fact, that the operating member is mounted on a separate axis which is provided above the spark-producing mechanism.

Notwithstanding this fact, the known lighter is only suitable for the ignition of a wick and not of a gas, since a burner valve cannot be operated within such arrangement.

One object of the invention is therefore to create a mechanical operable gas-fueled lighter which avoids this disadvantage and provides a simple construction of the operating means whereby the operating member also controls the burner valve from which the gas to be ignited is emerging.

In a gas-fueled lighter having a mechanical ignition and a one-piece operating member which is fully covering the upper face of the lighter one object of the invention is achieved :by means of a bearing frame provided with lugs which are carrying an axis, on which are commonly pivoted an operating mmeber and an abrasive wheel. The operating member is provided with a flame exit located opposite to the burner valve and its front edge is provided with a hook-like projection and a slot which is operatively engaging the burner valve. A further feature of the invention is the provision of an abrasive wheel loosely mounted on an axis which is connected with a driving member pivoted on the same axis, a twopiece member provided with pins which are eccentrically (with respect to said axis) engaging into said driving member, said two-piece member is provided atits end opposite to said pins with a roller and a supporting member mounted on a further axis carried by said two-piece member, said supporting member is pivoted at its other end within a bearing frame thereby supporting said twopiece member.

An advantageous feature of the invention is the fact, that the roller is biased into'contact with the inner surface of the operating member by means of a tension spring which is engaging, at one end with the bearing frame and at the other end with the common axis of the twoapiece member and the supporting member, and thereby holding said operating member in its rest position.

The invention is further characterized in that a bracket is provided, which is fixed to the bearing frame by means of a screw, and which is at one end overlapping the axis of the supporting member by means of a half ear and which is provided at its other end with a projection on which one end of the spring is hooked over.

In the drawings one example of the invention is shown only schematically:

FIG. 1 shows a section of the operating mechanism according to the invention in its rest position.

FIG. 2 shows the same section of the operating mechanism in an operating position, and 7 FIG. 3 a perspective exploded view of the operating elements without the operating member prior to assembly but positioned for assembly therefor.

The operating mechanism is supported by a tank 1 filled with gas and comprising a flint tube 23. The tank is closed by an upper wall 2. This wall 2 is connected to the bearing frame 4 by means of a screw 3. The bearing frame 4 is provided with two upwardly projecting lugsS which are bearing the pivot pin 6 for the abrasive wheel or sparking. 7 and the operating member 8.

The operating member 8 is provided at one end with a flame aperture 9 and an inwardly projecting flange 10, which in turn vis provided with a slot 11, which is engaging the burner nozzle and controls the burner valve when the member 8 is operated. i

The bearing frame 4 is provided with a bracket 14 for hearing a support lever 18, the bracket being fixed to said frame by means of screw 3. The screw 3 is screwed into a threaded bush 24 within the bearing frame 4. One end of the bracket 14 is overlapping the axis 17 of the lever 18 by means of a half ear 16. The bearing frame 14 is provided at its other end with a projection 15 upon which one end of the spring 22 is hooked.

3 vhich are connected together by means of a screw 28 nd straddle member 25.

The driving member 25 is also mounted on pivot pin 5 and surrounds the abrasive wheel 7 on said common in. The abrasive wheel is provided with a click-stop or atchet teeth arrangement 27 engaged by a springly pawl 6. This arrangement operates as a ratchet device to preent the engagement in more than one direction of roation of the abrasive wheel 7.

The lugs 6' on double lever 21 engage holes-30 which- .re eccentric with reference to holes 31 for pivot pin F. The filling valve preferably located at the bottom of he tank 1 and a casing surrounding said tank are not hown. The casing usually covers the "entire mech- .nism of the :lighter and is open only at its top to an ex-- ent such that the operating member 8 is movable through OPERATION In order to operate the lighter the member 8-.is demessed at its right end. T he roller 19 thereby moves along I I he inner surface of the member 8 toward its right end. As result, support lever 18 swings about its pivot-17.. Si nultaneously the spring 22 is biased. U 1

The lever 21 is moving in the direction of the roller .9 and rotates the driving member 15, thereby rotating he abrasive wheel. I

When swinging the operating member" 8 about pin 6 he flange 10 is also swung upwardly therebycausing ipening of the burner valve 13 and gaseous fuel is streamng out of the burner nozzle 12.

The gaseous fuel is ignited by thesimultaneous open ltlOI'l of the spark producing mechanism. The flame pro luced in that manner is emerging from the aperture 9 vithin the operating member 8.

Upon releasingof'the operating pressure on the right nd of the member 8, the spring 22 draws the operat ng member 8 into its initial position as shown in FIG. 1 vy meansof the roller 19, thereby swinging the lever' .8 around its pivot 17..

Simultaneously the lever 21 is moving forward and hereby rotating the driving member 25 counterclockvise around its pin 6 by means of lugsgi;

The flange 10 of the operating member 8 swings down. Thereby the shanks defining the slot 11 are coming in ontact with a bearing surface provided" at the burner nozzle 12, pressing downthis nozzle and closing the turner valve 13.

What is claimed is:

1. A gas-fueled lighter with a fuel-supplying andfuel gniting mechanism, said mechanism comprising in com )ination: i

a mounting frame;

a pivot pin supported on said frame;

a fuel valve for releasing a flow of gaseous fluid in an open position and biased into a closed position;

an operating member pivotally supported at one end on said pin for pivoting said member between a rest position covering said mechanism and an operating position, said operating member being biased into its' rest position and movable into its operating position by pressure applied thereto, and said operating member having an openingfor the passage of a flame upon ignition of released fuel and actuating portion engaging said fuel valve to open the same upon pivoting of the-operating member into its operating position; 1 a sparking wheel rotatably supported on said pivot pin;and" coupling means coupling the sparking wheel to the operating member to rotate said Wheel for gener ating sparks igniting fueLescaping from the valve upon movement of the operating member into its operating position, I said coupling mean including a driving member r otatably supportedon said pivot pin; one-way transmission means coupling said driving member to said wheel,- a coupling link hinged at one end to said driving member at a point thereof eccentric with reference to 'the rotational axis of said pin; and i a support-link hinged at one end to the other end of the w coupling link andv at the other end to said mount-' ing frame, said links being biased into pressure engagement with the operating member in any pivotal position of the latter, movement of the operating member into-its operating position eifecting displacement of the coupling link in lengthwise direction and thus rotation of the sparking wheel. 2. The lighter according to claim 5 wherein said transmission means comprise ratchet teeth on the sparking wheel and-a pawlmember coacting with said teeth and rotatably supported on said pivot pin, said pawl member being attached to said driving member for rotation in unison therewith thereby effecting said rotation of the wheel. r

3; Thelighter according to claim 5 wherein said coupling link has'two parallel branches straddling said driving 'member and 'mounting' lugs eccentrically engaging the driving mem'berfor rotation thereof upon displace ment of the coupling link in lengthwise direction.

4. The lighter according to claim' 5 wherein said one end of the supportlink and said other end of the coupling link are pivotal on a common second pivot pin, a roller'is rotatable on said second pin, and a spring biases said roller against said operating member to urge the same toward its rest position.

5. The lighter according to claim 4 wherein a support bracket is secured to said mounting frame, said bracket defining a bearing for said other end of the support link and also defining a hook portion retaining one end of said spring, the other end of the spring being attached to said second pivot pin.

References Cited UNITEDSTATES PATENTS EDWARD G. FAVORS, Primary Examiner 

